Circles
by 24isthebest
Summary: They went round and round in a game of circles. Him after her, her after him. What conquers spite, hatred, guilt, and denial? In finding the answer, they may find something beautiful. [Nadia x Doyle]
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, its a Nadia/Doyle. I wrote this story right after seeing the season finale, as these two really need a hot steamy romance!**

**Tell me if you likey. :)**

* * *

His chest, slowly moved up and down. If it wasn't for that she wouldn't have known he was alive. He lay idly, palms upturned, legs straight, eyes bandaged, but chest moving. 

She stroked the glass window, leading into his room. The glass was the closest she could get to him, so she absentmindedly drew circles on the glass.

"Excuse me Ms. Yassir?" She didn't bother turning around, not wanting to lay her eyes off him even for a moment. When the nurse realized she did not intend to turn to face her, she continued, "You do realize you can go in and talk with him. He is perfectly conscious."

"I can't." She whispered. Finally she turned slowly to face the woman. " Is it alright if I just stand here please?" she pleaded. " I won't bother anyone."

She received a smile" Of course. " The nurse said understandingly. She knew she had been there every day since his surgery. Right after the accident, Doyle was brought to this hospital. Thankfully, the doctors operated quickly on him and managed to do a rather involved corrective surgery.

However, there was still a huge chance he wouldn't see again. But there was a chance that he would. Nadia turned back to face the man lying on the bed, and back to the circle drawing.

She looked at the circle she drew. Circles were round, even, and never ended. Symbols of perfection.

She had tried to be perfect, tried to be something she was not that day. It seemed like forever ago but at the same time it was still so fresh in her mind like it was yesterday. Look where perfection got her. Milo's death and Mike's injury would forever be on her conscious.

A hand moved.

Nadia jolted out of her daydream to see him move his hand to his eyes. He touched his bandages, almost like he forgot they were there. His hand fell back to the bed , lying limply, as though he was admitting defeat.

A sight she though she would never see. Hours ago, she would have cherished the moment where Doyle had admitted defeat. His ignorance of racially stereotyping her was uncalled for, and his interrogation of her was brutal. She would have jumped at the chance to see the high and mighty Doyle humbled down on his knees.

But not like this. This was cruel. Instead of anger, all their was in her heart was guilt and sorrow. She did this to him. She pushed him down on his knees. She ruined his life.

She should have listened to Jack, or even to Doyle himself. What made her a great leader? Nothing.

His hand moved again. She gazed at its movement intently, until it fell to the bed once more.

She knew she had to feel him. She had to know he was still real, that he was still there.

She edged slowly through the glass doors and clung onto the doorway for dear life, eyes only on the bed. As she edged over to the bed, she froze when she heard his voice.

" Who is that?"

Silence.

" Seriously, I can hear you breathing like you're going to have a heart attack. Maybe you should go next door and find a nurse youself." He grumbled.

Finally the silence was gone. " It's me." She replied shakily.

Now it was his turn at silence. "What are you doing here?" he finally replied.

" I came to see you."

"Why ?" he snapped back harsher than intended. She suddenly felt surrounded. He had a way of intimidating her just by speaking. He hated her. That had to be it. After all, who wouldn't hate the person who caused them to lose their sight?

She looked down at the floor and saw a small drop of water cascade to the floor. One teardrop. From her eye.

One slowly turned into many, until she couldn't control them anymore. She had to get out of here. He couldn't know she was crying. He couldn't see her weak. She had to be strong for him. She owed him that.

She tried to stop the quiet tears, but they had a mind of their own. Instinctively, she began to sniffle, and she suddenly felt his hand on hers.

It took all of her effort not to instinctively jump back at his touch. She felt the hand pulling her closer to him, until she hit the end of the bed. He moved over and patted the room next to him, inferring for her to sit there.

It was then that all her resolve melted. The pact of being strong disintegrated as she melted into his arms, sobbing hysterically. Now, it was no longer his harsh words that surrounded her, but it was now his strong arms, drawing soothing circles on her back. She cried for Milo. She cried for all the people dead after the attacks. She even cried for herself. But most of all, she cried for him.

His hands now trailed up her back, making their way to her hair, as he stroked her hair. He told her that he was here, and that everything would be ok now. His warm breath on her cheek and his soft touch in her hair made her feel safer than she had even felt before. She felt as though nothing could happen to her.

Suddenly, the tears stopped. The erratic breathing stopped. The shaking stopped. But his touch remained. It continued its soothing patterns long after.

However, like all moments, they only last… well a moment. He pulled away first, and let his fingers trail down her arms, down her hand, and her fingers, until they met the bed once more.

"Feel better?" He asked jokingly. She nodded, then realized that he couldn't see her nod, and then replied verbally.

She watched his facial features and knew he was trying to say something. but was holding back. Finally, he did. " So why are you here?"

" I just wanted to see if you were ok and if there was anything I could do."

She saw him pause, as if to find the right words to say. " No, there's nothing you can do. Just me and the hospital bed until the next week. They want to monitor me to see if my sight comes back. If not, I just have to have a couple huge lifestyle changes." He said, laughing. Nadia however could hear a trace of bitterness in the laugh. Or maybe she was imagining it.

She reached out for his hand this time, gripping it tight. " I'm sure it will come back."

Once again, she swore she heard the bitter laugh again. " Sorry Nadia, but you're no miracle worker."

She couldn't find anything to retort to that. She was so emotionally drained she could literally feel herself falling asleep. But she could last a couple more minutes. She needed to ask him.

" Can I touch your face?" she asked impulsively. She regretted it the minute she saw the look on his face.

"My face?" his expression was too complicated for her to even interpret. But she didn't care.

"Please." She pleaded. One word, one chance.

"Fine." He retorted. One word, one permittance.

She reached up quickly as to touch him fast with her right hand, but paused right by his cheek. Slowly, she turned her hand as to lightly caress his cheek with the backside. His unshaven cheek left scratches, but she didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

She picked up her left hand and lightly pushed a stray piece of hair back. She turned her hands back over lightly strummed her fingertips over his rough skin, feeling him flinch a bit under her touch.

When she got up to the edge of the bandage, she stopped, unable to touch even a fringe of it. At last, she dropped her hands to her knees, suddenly feeling ashamed and bared.

" So what was that for?" he asked, with a smirk.

She got up shakily off the bed. He could feel her weight suddenly off the bed and wished she were still there.

" Just making sure you were real."

* * *

**Liked it? Review.**

**I actually am thinking of continuing it, but hoping you guys could tell me if you like it first.**

**-- Also, I know it may be extremely unrealistic for Doyle to be able to have surgery and even have a chance of being able to see again, but I really didn't have the heart for him to loose an eye. Sorry.**


	2. Chapter 2

Tammy Mall

Chapter 2. Hopefully you guys like where I'm taking the story. Any suggestions feel free to tell, I love feedback.

PLEASE REVIEW:)

* * *

And so she came every day to visit him.

Sometimes he infuriated her. He could say things that would make her blood boil like no one else could. The nurses nearly kicked her out one day because their yelling carried through the whole hospital wing.

Sometimes, he just stayed silent. He knew she was sitting right next to her, and could hear her sighs, yet chose to ignore her. The silence to her was even more painful than the yelling. It left a hollow feeling in her stomach.

Sometimes, most rarely though, he would talk to her. Never any personal questions though, strictly about work. Strictly business. He would ask her about how CTU was running, how she enjoyed being instated as the permanent Director of CTU. He would ask her of her day, and how the new techies were adjusting to the fast-passed aura of CTU.

Then, she would ask him how his day was, and he would always reply, " The food here sucks." And they left it at that.

Nadia was especially anxious for today's visit. Today he would be getting his bandages off. They would finally know if he could see or not.

When Nadia walked in, she saw the doctor already in the room, waiting for her.

"Finally." the doctor replied. "He wouldn't let me take it off without you here."

Nadia was a bit shocked to hear that, but quickly shook the feeling and took the seat near the doorway. Even from the seat by the door, she could see Doyle's flushed cheeks, colored from embarrassment. "Well, I'm here now."

"Good. Let's do this." Doyle announced amidst them.

The doctor slowly reached to the bandages. Nadia could see Doyle's hand, once lying limply on the bed, now trembling as though it was a fish out of water. She could feel his emotions. Anticipation, excitement, dread and fear all at the same time. She knew because she felt the same emotions.

The doctor then pulled of the bandages carefully, pulling them off with one hand and using the other to hold down the skin. Once one was off, Nadia rose to her feet and stood next to Doyle, intently watching the doctor remove the other.

"All right. All done. Mr. Doyle, do you see anything?"

Silence. It was there, the electricity that threatened to kill them if one person made a move to break the silence.

"Mr. Doyle? Can you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you." He snapped. He paused, and then resumed with emotion in his voice. " I still can't see a damn thing."

Nadia's heart dropped and broke.

* * *

It had been over two months since she last saw him. After the day in the hospital when they had found out he still couldn't see, he had requested to the hospital staff that they not let her visit again. He had gone back to hating her, blaming her, and his indifference towards her was painful. But she had eventually come to terms with the loss of their friendship. She was officially out of his life. 

Or so she thought. It wasn't until two months later that she was thrust into his life again.

"Nadia, we have appointed you to assess Agent Doyle's recovery process."

Her head spun as she looked incredulously at the District liaison. "What?!"

The liaison clearly saw this reaction coming, as he already had a diplomatic answer planned. " Look, we can't lose Agent Doyle from this department. Even in his current condition, his numerous years in tactical can come in use right here at CTU. We need to know if he is stable and ready enough to come back in to work for us."

"But why me?" Nadia pleaded. The thought of being in Doyle's presence again was unnerving.

"Because," he replied, " Many in this office have noticed that you clearly have his trust. From what I have read he is not the most lenient of men. He's going to need to talk to someone he trusts."

Nadia sighed. They were logically correct. However in some cases logic becomes completely irrelevant. This was one of those cases. " Even if I do go," she retorted camly, " There is no guarantee he will want to come back and work behind a desk. He was a field agent through and through. And as you previously said, he is stubborn."

"You just have to visit for a month, once a week. That's four visits. You're a good agent, I think you can handle bringing back one agent in that time."

This man really did not know Agent Mike Doyle.

* * *

"I'm coming damn it!" Mike replied angrily to the harsh knock of the door. He felt his way to the door and stopped outside it. " Who is it?" 

"It's me, Nadia." His heart seemed to miss a beat. He quickly opened the door.

"What are you doing here?"

He could hear her putting her business voice on. She was here on behalf of CTU, not on her own accord.

"I'm here to assess whether you are fit enough to return to CTU." He was right. He carefully stepped to the right of the doorway, allowing her entrance into his apartment.

He could here her footsteps coming in, and he imagined her looking around, taking in her surroundings. He imagined her tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, timidly, and then looking him in the eye, with the power and determination to move mountains.

"Mike?"

"Yes." He replied quickly, processing what she said. " Why would they send you? You are the goddamn director of CTU. What are you doing supervising an injured agents assessment case? They probably could have sent the janitor to do this."

His sarcasm was still there. "Well, it seems you are a great asset to CTU, and they want someone with experience to assess your case."

Mike let out a laugh. " So basically they knew how much of a son of a bitch I can be, and they figured that you would be the only one I might even remotely talk to."

Nadia rolled her eyes. " Can we get on with this?"

" Well sorry," Mike replied derisively, " Do you have a prior engagement that I am cutting into?"

" Maybe I do." Nadia snapped back.

"Well then, you can leave now. Tell CTU I'm doing just fine." He retorted angrily, gesturing towards the door.

Nadia sighed defeated. Fighting and yelling with him wouldn't solve any problems, it would just make both him and her more angry. Anger is the last thing that needed to be added into their complicated relationship; there was already enough of that. " Come on Mike, can I just ask you a couple questions? Then I'll be out of your hair."

"Fine." Mike grumbled.

"Ok." Mike could hear her opening a file. " So how long have you been out of the hospital?"

" About 2 and a half months." He replied, even though he knew it was actually 2 months and 15 days, to be exact.

" Did you have any personal assistance during these months?"

" Yeah, I had an aid that helped me for the first month. But sometime during the second she decided that I was ready to be on my own."

Now it was Nadia's turn to laugh. "So you kicked her out?"

Mike shrugged. "She wasn't needed. My other senses had been heightened by then, and I knew where everything was. I am self-sufficient."

Nadia asked him questions for the next half hour, until she had filled out and asked every question. She finally closed her file. " Can you please show me each room now?"

"If you wanted a tour you could just ask you know." He retorted quickly.

"Just get up and show me where everything is."

He first led her into the kitchen, and she asked him to do several things, like identify where the refrigerator is, open the drawers, and use the microwave. He went on to show her the living room, the spare bedroom, and his bedroom. As he walked towards the bathroom, she stayed behind a few extra minutes to examine his bedroom. Even with his disability, she could see he kept everything neat and in place. She looks out his long windows, which took up nearly the whole length of the wall, and closed the blinds, walking quickly to catch up with him.

His memory was still as sharp as ever. He knew the placement of every object in the house. Suddenly she felt so incompetent next to him. She didn't realize how much his life had to change.

"So are we done?" He exclaimed, pulling her out of her daze.

"Yes." She replied.

"Alright. So how many more times are you coming to make me feel like an idiot?"

" Not including this one, three more times." Nadia replied exasperated. God he could annoy her. Just three more times of coming here and she was done. Then he could go on working at CTU and she wouldn't have to deal with him on this kind of one to one basis. They could go on with their professional relationship from there. Nothing more.

" Great. So what are you going to test me on my colors next time you come?"

Nadia opened the door. She looked back at him and smiled. " Who knows? I just might. Just be ready for me." She closed the door roughly behind her.

Mike chuckled, staring at the door she just exited from. " I'll be waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope everyone likes this chapter. I personally don't know how I feel about it. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Note: This story is dedicated to all the Nadia/Doyle writers. Love you guys and your creativity to death :)**

* * *

"Chloe, I need those updates on my desk in ten minutes." Nadia said, walking towards her workstation. 

"I have them right here. I just need you to sign them." Chloe replied.

"All right." Nadia responded, grabbing the papers and inking her perfect signature on the seemingly endless stack of papers. Each signature was perfect, executed in perfect shape and form. Loops and circles of letters in an outwardly flawless nature.

"So how is Agent Doyle doing?" Chloe inquired, breaking the silence. The signature was not as perfect that time, as Nadia notably flinched.

" He is as sarcastic as always." Nadia said rolling her eyes, continuing to pen her name.

Chloe however did not take the hint. " You have to visit him tonight don't you? Wow, that is rough. I mean, it's a real tragedy what happened to him, and all of us here feel really bad about it. He must be real torn up about it…"

"Well if he is, he really doesn't show it." Nadia snapped back. Glaring at the documents in front of her was all that was keeping her from glaring at Chloe herself.

That gave Chloe the hint. "Sorry. Didn't know you were so touchy about it."

"I'm not, it's just that even after this whole accident he still is the ass he was before."

"Um excuse me are you Miss Nadia Yassir?" Nadia immediately turned around only to be faced with an attractive man that looked to be about her age. He was as tall and muscular, with dark brown hair and golden brown eyes.

" Yes I am Nadia Yassir." She walked around Chloe's workstation and offered her hand. "And you are?"

" Nick Sloane, I was sent here by Division. It's a pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand to grasp hers. "So you are the lovely lady who saved Los Angeles not too long ago." He smiled at her. "I've heard nothing but good things about you from any official I speak to."

Nadia returned his smile. He looked as if he had stepped right out of a magazine cover, with his handsome features and his bright smile. Realizing she was staring, she finally found her voice.

"Thank you very much Mr. Sloane. May I ask why you are here sir?"

"Please, Nadia call me Nick." He replied, with his smile not faltering. He put a hand on her back, edging her away from Chloe's desk out of her hearing distance. "Well, Nadia, Division has up to now been extremely enthusiastic with the idea of you being the permanent director of CTU. However some individuals feel that your lack of experience in leadership positions may be a problem. I am just sent here to overlook your work, and be a mentor of sorts."

"That's fine with me." Nadia replied calmly. She knew she was good at her job, so she had no problem in having to prove it. "But if you'll excuse me, I actually have to step out of CTU for the day. Nice to meet you Nick."

"Yes Nadia, it will be a pleasure working with you." This was all she heard as she walked to her office to grab her briefcase and left CTU.

* * *

Once again, she found herself at his doorstep, unable to knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked quietly. When there was no answer, she knocked louder, afraid that he couldn't find his way to the door. Still no answer. She raised her hand to knock again but was only met face to face with Mike Doyle himself. " Do you want to break my damn ear drums too?" 

Nadia blushed, and then scrunched her face in anger, instinctively going on the defense. " Can I just come in please?" He stepped aside allowing her to enter. Every time she stepped through those doors, it was like she was trapped. The feeling of breathlessness, nervousness, and restlessness that she had experienced on her first visit had returned for the second one. Was the room spinning? Or was she just moving?

"I'm sorry," Nadia said exasperated, one hand clutching her head, " Its been a long day and I have a headache. Do you mind if I make myself a cup of coffee?" She had remembered seeing a coffee machine in the kitchen.

" Knock yourself out. You mind making me a cup too?" he asked as she got up.

"Yeah, no problem." She replied monotonously hooking up the coffee machine. The outlet that she plugged it into seemed to not work for some reason, so she moved it to the outlet on the other side of the kitchen.

"So," he said unsurely, breaking the silence, " Was it a really tough day at work?"

"Yeah." She replied from the kitchen. " No matter how much I do one day it always becomes insignificant to the amount I have to do the next. It's been especially crazy these past weeks."

" Is that so?" She turned around to see him in the kitchen as well, now facing her.

"Yes." She said, suddenly backing away from him, leaning against the counter. The stress put on her was finally hitting her, as she suddenly felt so exhausted. " Doyle, do you ever feel like the world is moving so fast and you're just trying to catch up with it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. " All the time. The feeling that you're the only one stuck where you are, and there is nothing you can do about it." The look he gave her sent shivers up her spine. Was he actually being humane towards her? This was one of the first conversations they had where they weren't yelling, except of course for the first day she went into his hospital room to visit him. However she didn't remember what he had said to her that day, she only remember the feeling of his touch, the feeling of his hands in her hair, on her back, on her arms, and the warmth of his body pressed to hers.

Her body suddenly seemed to gravitate towards him, as she let go of the counter she was griping and let herself walk towards him. What she was doing, she did not know. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Is that your phone ringing?" Doyle said, jolting her from her sudden daze. Nadia blushed as she mumbled some incoherent words of affirmation and ran to her purse to get the phone.

"Look Sam, I am working I need to call you back?" Doyle heard her say from the kitchen as he followed her into the living room. He could hear a sudden excitement in her voice. " Really? Well I still can't talk now. I'll see you later." He heard her phone click shut.

"Sorry about that, it was my sister." Nadia said clearing her throat. "Would you like to start the evaluation questions now?"

Ignoring her second question and sitting on the couch opposite her, Doyle responded, " I didn't know you had a sister."

Nadia replied with a smile, "Yes, she's my only sibling, so I'm really close to her. Do you have any siblings?"

"No I'm an only child."

"Oh," she replied softly. " Well how about you're parents, do they live in the area?"

"No they don't." She became confused at his abrupt answer. Suddenly their conversation, which started out pleasant, was going in a completely different direction.

"Have they visited yet?"

"No and they don't plan to." Mike replied in such a callous tone that Nadia couldn't help but shiver. The hatred was laced in every word.

She saw him get up abruptly, and so she quickly followed him. She saw him walk into the kitchen and grab a coffee mug. All of the sudden, she saw him look at the empty counter and stop. He then turned his head and spanned the kitchen intently, walking assuringly to the other side of the kitchen, where the coffee maker was.

Nadia, witnessing this whole scene, grew confused. "How did you know the coffee pot was over there?"

She could have sworn she saw him flinch a little at the sound of her voice. She could see his body tense in anger. "Why the hell did you move it?" He replied angrily. "I have everything in a specific place for a reason, and the last thing I need is for you to move something."

"I only moved it because the power outlet on that side wasn't working for some reason. And you didn't answer my question. How did you know the coffee pot was over there?" She didn't realize that she was yelling at this point.

"I can smell the coffee. Why is this such a pressing matter Nadia?" Doyle retorted harshly.

Nadia was silent. She didn't know why she had pressed the matter. It made sense that he smelled the coffee, after all when losing one sense the others are heightened. She raised her hand to rub her forehead. This headache was getting worse and worse.

"Can you just ask me your questions and leave already?"

"With pleasure." She retorted bleakly. She poured herself her coffee, took a sip trying to rejuvenate herself, and then stepped into the living room once again with every ounce of courage and determination she had left. She quickly finished her questioning and left with a word of goodbye. Staying in the same room as him suffocated her.

* * *

"Nadia! Its so good to see you!" A younger version of Nadia got off the couch and hugged her sister. This woman was a bit shorter and more petite than her with shorter hair, but it was still unmistakable that they were sisters. 

"Sam! Yes it is good to see you." Nadia tried to exhibit excitement, however she exhibited more surprise; she had completely forgotten of the phone call at Doyle's place she had received from her sister.

" Why do you look so surprised? I did call you and tell you I was at your place. And why do you look so flushed and exhausted?"

"Sorry, I was at work. It was a really stressful day in general." She proceeded to tell her sister all about it, including the parts with the obstacle that was Mike Doyle.

"Is this the Agent Doyle that tortured you, and accused you of being a terrorist, and…"

"Yes Sam, it is." She replied annoyed.

" And the one you proceeded to visit every day in the hospital to check up on him after?"

"Yes Sam."

" And the one who drives you absolutely mad and…"

" SAMRANA YASSIR I THINK I KNOW YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT PERSON NOW!"

"Okay," the younger women replied laughing. "Just making sure. So what did he anger you about now." Nadia went on to tell her about both of her visits to him.

"So let me get this straight." Sam said, examining the empty glass of soda that she was holding, swirling around the last remains of the ice. "You interviewed him in his home, invaded his privacy, questioned his competence, and basically shoved the idea of working in a desk at CTU down his throat and you're surprised when you get into fights over nothing?"

"Hey whose side are you on?" Nadia replied defensively. "And they aren't always about nothing. He just keeps pushing things like the ass he is."

"Of course he was being a bastard," she pointed out. "That's who he is. All men are bastards in some way. But you seem to take it personally every single time Agent Doyle opens his mouth. You go on the defensive immediately."

"I do not!" Sam just stared at her, and finally Nadia relented. "Okay, fine, sometimes I take it personally."

"Sometimes? Try all of the time. And because you two always fight, this is the only mode of interaction both of you are used to. It is instinctive for you to fight and be defensive, because that's what you are accustomed to with him."

Nadia sighed. " Do you have to psychoanalyze everything?"

Sam laughed. " Well, it is what I do for a living and I can't just turn it off just because I'm not at work. Just like when we go to any public place you always scan the place for exits in case of an emergency."

Nadia reddened from embarrassment, and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. "I do not do that!"

"Oh yes you do and there is no use arguing it." Her sister called from the other room. There was silence as Nadia walked back into the other room, watching her sister try to hide a smirk.

"What are you smirking at Sam?"

" Do you really want to hear it?" she inquired.

" Yes I want to know what you think is so funny."

Sam paused in silence. Finally, the words seemed to come tumbling out of her mouth. "You know, this fighting between you and Agent Doyle, there also could be a sexual aspect to it."

"_Sexual_?!" Nadia dropped the cup she was holding, leaving the glass to shatter on the floor. She took no notice. " Holy crap. Okay, I don't know how you're thinking that, but you are absolutely wrong."

"Am I?" Sam dragged her seemingly frozen sister to the couch with her. " With all this fighting, there has to be some kind of sexual tension between you two. You harness all that sexual desire and passion into your arguing and dissension."

Nadia shook her head, face flushed. "This is ridiculous. Absolutely ludicrous. Absurd even. Its.." she stammered.

"I have a thesaurus. I don't need another synonym for those words. I get it." Sam finished for her.

Nadia snapped her mouth shut and glared at her sister. "Can we talk about something else? As in, besides the supposed attraction between Doyle and I?"

"Fine. But just one more question."

"What?" Nadia replied roughly.

"Do you get all hot, sweaty and flustered after arguing with him?" Sam replied with the biggest smirk she had ever seen.

Nadia cheeks flamed with embarrassment. " I hate you."

"You love me." Sam said proudly.

"Shut up."

* * *

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**Any suggestions are absolutely appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN : It's getting harder and harder to keep these two apart!**

**Hope you guys like this chapter. It moves my story along nicely. **

**Next chapter, something HUGE happens and I'm suprised no one has guessed that it was coming. The last chapter gave a huge hint, but no one got it yet. **

**So, on with the chapter!**

* * *

"Nick I'm going to have to call you back on those reports. I'm at Agent Doyle's apartment now. Yes, thank you very much." She quickly hung up the phone and exited the car. 

In just a short week Agent Nick Sloane had established his presence in CTU. There was no part of CTU he did not have a part in, and to Nadia it seemed that the place had finally begun to run smoothly again. He was a great leader and even though she herself was good at her job, he seemed to find room for improvement in her and showed her how to assert her power more openly.

She also however knew that he was obviously attracted to her. Sometimes she could feel his eyes on her, watching her. She tried to convince herself he was just watching her to catch her if she messed up, but she knew it was more than that. Her feelings towards him were much more ambiguous however. He was attractive, no doubt, but starting a relationship with a coworker would be disastrous. Thinking of Milo was evidence enough of this point.

* * *

Another week passed, and Nadia found herself at his doorstep again. She raised her hand to knock on the door but stopped as she could hear yelling coming from inside. 

"How the hell do you think we felt when that damn workplace called and told us?" A man said angrily.

"Sweetheart, we were worried sick about you." Nadia's mind started to spin. Who was calling Doyle a _sweetheart_?

" A phone call from you would have sufficed you know."

"I think I was a little busy in surgery." That was Mike's sarcastic voice this time.

"Yes but even after that, no phone call at all."

"I didn't know I had to update you on every single second. Plus since when did you take such an interest in my life!"

" You're mother and I would just like to be informed when you nearly die." Nadia took a sharp breath as realization hit. These were his parents.

"I wouldn't hold your breath for those calls."

" Well for God's sake. Mary how can you let our son talk to us like that?" He looked to his wife only to see her stare at her own feet. "Well fine then I think I'll just head out to the car. I'll meet you out there Mary."

Before Nadia could comprehend what was happening, she was met face to face with the father of Mike Doyle.

"What the hell are you doing?" The older man asked angrily. Nadia froze. How did she always get herself into situations like these? She should have just knocked on the door to begin with, instead of eavesdropping on their whole conversation. How was she to even start to explain this?

The older man's voice brought her out of her daze. "Are you mute?" He said roughly.

She finally found her voice. Stretching out her hand, she firmly replied. "Sir, my name is Nadia Yassir. I am here from CTU."

"CTU huh?" He said cynically, looking back at both his wife and his son. "All that place has done to you and you still wanna get back to that hell hole?"

"Sir., I am just here to assess his progress after the surgery."

"Assess him huh? In what way?" The tone of his voice hinted to Nadia exactly what he was insinuating.

" I'm sorry sir?" she replied calmly, trying to remain diplomatic.

" I'm sure you know exactly what I am implying. Are you sleeping with my son?" Even though she knew what he was inferring, it was still like a slap in the face. Before she could reply, Mike's voice boomed throughout the apartment.

" I am not involved with her, and even if I was, it would be none of your business." She could see his face contorted in anger. He edged closer to his father until they were face to face. " Leave. Now. " Without another word, the older man walked out of the apartment. The women next to Mike lovingly stoked his arm, and hurried after her husband.

The door slamming shut was like a resounding bang compared to the deathly silence inside. Eventually Nadia broke it. " So, would you like to start now?"

He cleared his throat. " I think it would be best if we rescheduled." Without another glance at her, he shuffled to his bedroom and closed the door.

Nadia glanced towards the door and then towards the direction of his bedroom. She was free to go. She could go home, relax, and look over those notes Nick had emailed to her. She could count a million things she could do instead of be here, but her body made no move towards the door. Instead, it followed his footsteps until she reached his door.

She knocked once. No answer. So she quietly opened his door, expecting him to browbeat her for following him. Instead, she found him staring out his long windows, which gave a beautiful view of the city. He seemed engrossed at the scene outside. The seen let him see for miles.

It wasn't until she started walking closer towards him that he acknowledged her presence. "Nadia, I told you that you could leave. I'm fine." Still he kept his back to him.

She sighed softly. " Look I know your upset about your parents. But if you just talk to them calmly I'm sure you could come to some sort of understanding."

Mike only replied by letting out a cynical laugh. Nadia sighed loudly this time.

"Mike." She reached out and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Before she knew what had happened, he turned swiftly, grabbed her and backed her into the glass window roughly. Her back came up against the cold surface. She tried to squirm against him but he was much stronger than her. He brought his face within inches of hers so that she could feel his warm breath stroking her face as he spoke.

"Nadia, don't do this to me. I don't need your pity." His voice taking on a much lower tone than she had ever heard.

" Mike, I don't pity you." She whispered as she raised her hand to caress his cheek softly. Normally she should be worried that a man twice her strength had her pinned down. But she didn't worry about that in the slightest. The only thing she could think about was his warmth against her body, and the sensation of this moment.

She lifted her other hand to stroke the other cheek, and Mike closed his eyes as well, trying to control himself from trembling at her touch. Her silky hands up and down his cheek was enough for him to lose self control. The slightest touch could cause the greatest reaction.

Mike opened his eyes, and for a moment Nadia thought he was regretting this moment, and then she remembered that he still couldn't see her, couldn't experience this with his sight. But instead of all her thoughts, Mike was thinking something radically different. Lack of sight wasn't an issue anymore. Leaning his head forward, he brought his lips closer to hers.

He was going to kiss her. He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him. She closed her eyes and waiting for the heat from his lips. But they never came. Instead, he pulled back, releasing her from his grip. She opened her eyes to find him backing away from her, stepping backwards.

He cleared his throat. " So, I think we'll just resume next week, to make up for this week's missed evaluation."

Nadia could feel tears welling in her eyes. But even worse was the ache in her heart. She could see the resignation in his posture. He was like a wall of stone and steel. "Next week is just fine." Nothing matter more than getting home, as she ran out of his apartment and sat in her car.

She wanted to start her car and get the hell out of there but she couldn't even bring herself to do that. Her mind was spinning at the thought of what happened there.

Agent Mike Doyle almost kissed her. And she almost let him.

Her senses were still spinning at the thought. She thought of her conversation with her sister. She claimed there was sexual tension between them. The idea of this still made her want to hurl the contents of her lunch.

She thought of the way she was always breathless at the thought of going to his apartment. How his voice sent shivers up her spine. How when he looked at her, even though she knew he couldn't see her, it made her loose all sense of thought and rationality. How his proximity and touch set her every nerve ablaze.

Oh. My. God.

She was falling for Doyle. Friggen Agent Mike Doyle.

Someone get her a strong drink and fast.

* * *

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**Remember: Huge hint last chapter and another hint in this chapter in the bedroom scene, to be particular!**


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